Trump rally attendees express frustration after being stranded following Saturday’s event

"Chaotic" – a word that some attendees at former President Trump's Coachella rally described the event after its conclusion Saturday evening.

Marti King attended the rally and opted to leave the event before the former president finished speaking to get ahead of the crowd, but even with this foresight, was met with some trouble while trying to get to her car.

"It was dangerous because people were crossing the street and the busses couldn't get anywhere because people kept crossing the street, and then people were being unloaded and going to the rally at that time," recounts King.

King says attendees were told to arrive before 2:00 p.m., since buses would not take people to the rally after that time. But as she left the rally shortly before 7:00 p.m., it was clear that rule was not being followed.

"People were coming in and running to his where he was speaking. And I thought, ‘What? That's odd. I thought we weren't supposed to be let out.'"

King continues, "We were wanting to get on the bus [to leave] and we couldn't get on the bus because they were unloading people."

Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco said of the situation, "It didn't go very smoothly. There were a lot of people trying to leave at the same time and logistically, it wasn't conducive to going smoothly. As far as we know there were no injuries, there were no incidents, no neighbors called to complain, and as far as I know, everyone made it home safely."

Several viewers have contacted our newsroom. Some have said they were stranded for several hours while bus service was limited after the rally wrapped up.

The City of Coachella released a statement earlier today, stating the following:

"The City of Coachella did not utilize any city resources and had no involvement in the logistical planning of either rally that took place this past weekend."

– City of Coachella

Meanwhile, Coachella Mayor Steven Hernandez posted to his Facebook page, expressing his thoughts on the transportation situation.

“The logistical failures of Trump’s rally that left thousands of his out of town supporters stranded is consistent with the failures of his administration and the failures we would get in a second Trump term.”
– Mayor Steven Hernandez

The Trump Campaign confirmed it arranged for 60 buses to transport attendees, but where the buses came from and who ultimately paid for them remains unclear.

“Our campaign’s top priority is always keeping people safe, which is why we secured 60 buses to transport supporters to their vehicles immediately following the rally and local law enforcement was on-site."

– Trump Campaign